It would seem that there are infinitely many ways leading to dementia; the latest, according to new research, is elevated levels of cholesterol earlier in life. It’s not only bad for your heart but also for your brain. So, what does this mean for those of us who didn’t take steps to bring down — or didn’t even know about – our high cholesterol when we were younger?
How High is Too High?
At Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, Rachel Whitmer, PhD, and her colleagues analyzed the records of 9,844 patients who completed health evaluations as part of a preventive screening program in the 1960s and 1970s. All patients were between 40 and 45 years old. Decades later (when the participants were 61 to 88 years old), 596 of them had been diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia, which is the second most common type of dementia.
Dr. Whitmer looked back at all participants’ cholesterol levels, and found that those who had had high total cholesterol (240 mg/dL or higher) when screened in their 40s had a 57% higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s and a 26% higher risk for vascular dementia. Participants whose cholesterol had been borderline-high (200 mg/dL to 239 mg/dL) when screened showed a 23% higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s and a 50% higher risk for vascular dementia than those with cholesterol under 200 mg/dL.
The study had some limitations, including a lack of information about whether participants had cholesterol-lowering therapy and no differentiation among types of cholesterol, which we now know is an important health factor. Additional research is needed to answer some key questions, including why high cholesterol raises dementia risk. Findings were published in the August 2009 issue of Dementia & Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.
For a Long, Happy, Healthy Life…
It’s fair to say, however, that these results suggest that high levels of cholesterol early in life are associated with the development of dementia later in life. Study coauthor Alina Solomon, MD, PhD, of the department of neurology at the University of Kuopio in Finland, told me that this doesn’t mean that people with elevated cholesterol should automatically begin taking statin drugs; we’ve pointed out before that they have potentially serious side effects. Consult with your doctor, suggests Dr. Solomon. If appropriate, look first at making lifestyle changes, which will have a positive effect on your cholesterol and your brain. Though you may not be able to control such risk factors as age and genetics, you can help prevent age-related diseases by eating well, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and controlling stress. Not only are these measures key to living a good, long life but also, it seems, to being able to enjoy it.
Source(s):
Alina Solomon, MD, PhD, department of neurology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.
Rachel Whitmer, PhD, research scientist, division of research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California.
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Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
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